Aolani Hill of Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School (center), who won second place in the speaking contest, joked around with finalists Jamiya McNeil (left) of Charles Rice Learning Center and Maame Forson of William L. Cabell Elementary before the competition Friday.

How fitting that Chinelo King would walk away with the top prize in a contest for Dallas ISD students held Friday in downtown Dallas.

The 9-year-old shares the last name of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader for whom the contest is named. Chinelo bested seven other finalists to win the Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at the Majestic Theatre.

“I’m delighted that I won,” said Chinelo, a fourth-grader at John Neely Bryan Elementary in east Oak Cliff. “It’s a dream come true.”

The competition required finalists to give an original speech in response to the question: “If you could talk directly to Dr. King about your dream for our future, what would you tell him?”

The students were judged on delivery, content interpretation, memorization, stage presence and decorum.

Chinelo gave a forceful speech that included messages on character and courage. Dressed in a brown suit and a bow tie, he often gestured to get his point across. An aspiring architectural engineer, he made analogies about construction tools throughout his speech.

“Wake up, get up, and let’s use our tool belts to work together to build a better world,” he said at one point. “Let’s use our hammers to pound out this bullying business.”

The competition began in the fall with about 207 students from 20 schools. Twenty students moved to a semifinal round, where the finalists were chosen.

Chinelo received $1,000, and other finalists received varying amounts. The competition was presented, hosted and sponsored by the law firm Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. Dallas ISD was co-presenter.

The contest was started in 1993 to pay tribute to Dr. King and to encourage Dallasites to remember him.

Stephen Good, managing partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, said the competition began with one school in a conference room — a far cry from the historical Majestic Theatre where it was held Friday. The contest was also held in Houston, where it’s in its 17th year.

“We’re very excited about this program,” Good said. “I know Dr. King would be very proud of all these students and all the hard work they put into this.”

David King, Chinelo’s father, said his son began practicing his speech in late September.

“There’s probably not a spot in my house that he hasn’t practiced the speech in,” he said. “He practiced in the car and the grocery store.”

Second place went to Aolani Hill of Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary. Leah Wizeman of Harry C. Withers Elementary in northwest Dallas won third place.

Superintendent Mike Miles commended all the students for having the courage to stand before the audience to talk about Dr. King.

“I think you, too, just like him, bring us hope and inspiration, and I thank you for the effort,” Miles said. “We still have more dreams to fulfill. Education is the civil rights issue of our time.”

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